Cornelius birkery



Model) 0. BIRKERY.

BALL 000K. No. 559,884. Patented May 12, 1896'.

a l S I W' ANDREW B GRAHAFLPNOTO-U'THQWA5HINGTGED (Iv UNITED STATESPATENT EEicE.

CORNELIUS BIRKER-Y, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE l-EIRKERYMANUFAC"URING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BALL-COCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,884, dated May 12,1896.

Application filed May 23,1895. Serial No. 550,399. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

3e it known that I, CORNELIUS BIRKERY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBall-Cocks, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the class of cocks that are used in tanks andhave a ball or float that drops and opens the valve when the level ofthe water in the tank is lowered and which lifts and closes the valvewhen the water-level in the tank rises.

The object of the invention is to provide a very simple and cheap cockof this class, which is so constructed that it will open and closeeasily, surely, and slowly without noise or singing and will require buta small float to cause it to open and close.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinalsection of one forni of the cock, showing the valve opened. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the same 'with the valve closed. Fig. 3 is a transversesection of the same on the plane denoted by the broken line of Fig. i.Fig. lis a central longitudinal section of a modified form of the cock,and F1 g. 5 is a detail view of the valve and stem of this latter formof cock.

In the form of cock illustrated in the views the shell is shown asformed in two parts 1 and 2, that are threaded and screwed to gotherwith a packing 3between them. This packing can be so arranged thatbesides making a tight joint between the parts of the shell it aitords aseat against which the valve closes for stopping the flow of waterthrough the cock. It is preferred that shoulders be formed between theends of the two parts where they are threaded, so as to clamp thepacking between them when the parts are screwed together.

The shell at the inlet end of the cock is preferably threaded forattachment to the supply-pipe of the system to which it is to beconnected, while the outlet is usually made through a bib 4:, that isformed integral with the other part of the shell. The outlet partfloat-lever 7.

angle-lever with one end loosely engaging with the valve extension orstem and the other end adapted to be secured to the end of the rod thatis attached to the operating-float.

The valve 5 isacylindrical ortubnlarpiece, and it has an interiordiameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the end portion ofitself that comes in contact with and shuts against the valve-seat whenthe valve closes. The hollow valve is extended in the direction of itslength, and this extension, usually in the form of a stem, is free toreciprocate in the hollow hub 8 when the valve-lever is oscillated. Inthe interior of the hollow valve is a suitably-packed piston-head 9, thepacking of which is open to the pressure of the water exerted throughthe open seat end of the valve on one side as it comes from the port atthe valve'seat. This piston-head is supported in a fixed position withits packing tightly fitting the interior of the valve, the support forthe piston-head being a stem 10, that is connected with the shell. Inthe form shown in Fig. l the stem of the piston-head extends in linewith the flowing water through the port and is secured to a spider orbar that passes from one side to the other of the interior of the shellon the pressure side of the port. The valve back of the piston-head isprovided with a perforation or opening that vents the interior of thevalve, so that there will be no pressure of air or water in the valveback of the piston-head to retard the movement of the valve.

In the form of cock shown in Fig. a the stem of the piston-head isextended in a line with the water flowing through the port, but in sucha direct-ion that it is attached to or connected with the end of theshell opposite from the inlet. In this latter form the stem thatsupports the piston-head is perforated and the stem or the extension ofthe valve passes through the piston-head and the perforated support, sothat it maybe connected with the float-lever.

Cocks constructed in this manner are simple, cheap, and durable. Thevalve is removable and consequently can be readily renewed by regrinding or by the substitution of a new valve should the old become too muchworn. The valve-seat is also readily renewable when it becomes worn, forthe parts of the shell may be quickly removed and a new packing insertedbetween them.

A cock constructed in this manner can be operated without noise, for theinlet and outlet and the port are all large, so as to permit the passageof a large quantity of water. It can be operated without water-hammer,for the pressure of the outtlowing watenwill not draw the valve suddenlyto its seat when closing, and it can be operated and kept tightly closedwith a small float, for the piston-head relieves the valve from thedirect pressure of water tending to open it, while the pressure that isexerted on the valve by the water that attempts to go between the edgesof the valve and its seat is counterbalanced by the pressure of thewater in the interior of the valve which tends to hold it closed to itsseat. As stated above, the interior of the tubular or cylindrical valveis made slightly larger in diameter than the end or edge portion of thevalve that comes in contact with the seat when it is closed. Therefore,as the cross-sectional area of the space is greater in the interior thanwhere the valve seats, this makes the pressure of the water exert itselfin a direction toward the port, and thus when the valve is closed thepressure tends to aid in keeping the valve closed. The piston-head takesthe pressure of the water that tends to directly force the valve open,while the pressure in the opposite direction is exerted upon the wallsof the reduced portion of the interior of the valve, and this is in adirection toward the valve-seat. The proportion between the largerdiameter of the interior of the hollow valve and the end portion of thevalve that bears against the seat is such that the pressures arepractically balanced, so that the valve will reciprocate easily with asmall float and require much smaller power to keep it closed.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A ball-cock consisting of a shell with aninlet and outlet and seat between the inlet and outlet, a reciprocatingcylindrical valve with an annular seat edge movable within the shell onthe outlet side of the seat and having an interior opening of largerdiameter than the diameter of the port through the seat, with a vent atthe back end of the cylinder, and a packing of larger diameter than theport through the seat fitting the opening in the valve, said packingbeing held con nected with the shell against longitudinal movement,substantially as specified.

2. A ball-cock consisting of a shell with an inlet and outlet and seatbetween the inlet and outlet, a reciprocating hollow cylindrical valvewith an open seat end, said valve having a stem that extends through theend of the shell on the same side of the seat as the valve, and apacking larger in diameter than the port through the seat fitting theopening in the valve, said packing being rigidly connected to the shelland exposed to pressure exerted through the open seat end of the valveonly, substantially as specified.

8. A ball-cock consisting of a shell with an inlet and outlet and seatbetween the inlet and outlet, a reciprocating hollow cylindrical valveon the outlet side of the seat and having an open seat end, a packinglarger in diameter than the port through the scat fitting the opening inthe valve, said packing being exposed to pressure through the seat endof the valve only, and a stem that extends through the port in the seatand is connected with the interior of the shell on the pressure side ofthe seat and with the packing on the escape side of the seat,substantially as specified.

at. A ball-cock consisting of a shell with an inlet and outlet and seatbetween the inlet and outlet, a reciprocating hollow cylindrical valveon the outlet side of the seat, and a packing connected by a stem withthe shell fitting the opening in the valve and exposed to pressurethrough the open seat end of the cylindrical valve, said valve having astem that extends through the shell of the valve on the same side of theseat as the packing, substantially as specified.

5. A ball-cock consisting of a shell with an inlet and outlet and seatbetween the inlet and outlet, a reciprocating tubular valve withopenings at both ends, said valve having a stem that extends through theend wall of the shell, a packing larger in diameter than the portthrough the seat fitting the interior of the valve, and a stemconnecting the packing with the shell, substantially as specified.

CORNELIUS BIRKERY.

\Vitnesses:

I I. R. ILLIAMS, Soorr I-I. SMITH.

